Mount Everest

Welcome to our Mount Everest mini website. Here you will find a directory consisting of guided and non-guided Mount Everest mountain climbing companies which provide a service which is designed to help you summit Mount Everest. Here you also find a discussion about Mount Everest, a discussion about climbing preparation, Mount Everest weather forecasts, and the most current news about Mount Everest. Our news here will be updated daily and will consist of news about the current expeditions on the mountain, and any significant news for potential climbers. Here you will also find our Mountain Climbing Store. So if you are seeking to go on a paid expedition to the summit of Everest, then this site should be useful.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world if measured from mean sea level to it’s peak. It’s official height from mean sea level to it’s peak is 29,035ft. There actually is some debate in terms of the height of Mount Everest. Some sources place the height at 29,028ft. But most mountain cartographers place it at 29,035ft. simply because this measurement was determined by radar and current GPS technology. When Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first climbed to its awesome summit in 1953, their height determination was based on the most advanced methods of the time. At that time they found Mount Everest to have a height above sea level of 29,000ft. Not far from the official height of 29,035ft.

Summiting Mount Everest is considered the ultimate symbol of achievement in most advanced societies around the world. Man has always and always will be drawn to the challenge. And today, more people per year attempt a Everest summit then ever before. The best time to climb Everest is in the Spring, March - May. During this time Mount everest can actually get some what crowded, and some times lines can form on the popular routes to the summit.

The border of Nepal and Tibet (China) straddles the mountain. There are two popular routes to climb Everest. They are the Northeast Ridge (North-Col) and the Southeast Ridge (South-Col) routes. An attempt on the summit from the Southeast Ridge route takes place from the Nepal side, and an attempt to summit from the Northeast Ridge route takes place from the Tibet side of the mountain. Of the two routes, the Southeast Ridge is considered technically easier and is the most popular route. This was the route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. But their decision to climb this route was more political then technical. At that time, China was closed to Westerners and they could not attempt a summit from the Tibet (China) side.

While more and more people are attempting to summit Mount Everest, it should be noted that many novices sometimes do not realize how really difficult a summit attempt is. Many of the Expedition companies, guided or non-guided, provide information which make it look like a popular tourist destination. But make no mistake about about it, summiting Mount Everest is extremely dangerous and therefore you should keep this in mind during both mental and physical preparation. So how does one prepare for a summit attempt.

Mount Everest - Summit Preparation

• To start, take some mountaineering courses and learn about mountain climbing in terms of techniques, skills, and equipment needed. There have actually been people at Mount Everest base camp who do not even know how to put on basic climbing equipment, like crampons! Use the skills you learn on smaller mountains for three to four years prior to a Mount Everest summit attempt. During this training work your way up to higher terrain mountains, and also practice night time climbing. Typically, a Mount Everest summit attempt usually starts around midnight. Prior to an Everest summit attempt, summit several mountains above 18,000 feet. Of course, the more climbing experience before Everest the better.
• Build your physical and mental endurance. You absolutely must be physically fit to attempt a Everest summit. Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol level within normal homeostatic range consistently. Develop your aerobic endurance by running, and build your running up over time. Some weight training can also be done during your training in preparation to summit Mount Everest. Have a physical exam completed and documented by your doctor before training and right before your trip to Mount Everest to make sure there are no hidden physical problems that may develop while on your trip. Some expedition companies actually require this.
• Save your money. A low budget trip with no guide can cost $25,000. A summit attempt with a guide can cost up to $60,000 or more.
• Plan your trip for the Spring. Specifically March to May, with May historically being the best month for a summit attempt. This is when the weather is the best for a summit attempt, in relative terms.
• Make a decision on the company you want to pay in order to climb Mount Everest. Use our directory of companies listed below. Also use their check list for preparation. You can do it on your own, but the logistics involved are tremendous and if you really want to summit Everest, most experts say you should use a climbing company.
• Attempt the summit during a weather window, and expect 20 hours of basically continuous climbing from the highest camp to the summit, and back to the highest camp, during a summit attempt. Typically, you will be able to rest for 30 minutes on the summit.
• Plan on at least two months for the entire trip. Much of the time is spent acclimatizing to the higher altitude, and waiting for a weather window to open up. A large portion of time is used just to get to the Mount Everest base camp.

This year (2007) has been a record for the number of climbers who have successfully reached the top of Mount Everest. 514 climbers have successfully reached the Everest peak for 2007, as of May 31. This number will undoubtedly go up when an end of year determination is made. The next closest record was 470 for the 2006 season. At the end of the 2004 climbing season, in total 1400 different climbers from twenty different countries had completed a total of over 2000 climbs. The total number of successful attempts to reach the summit has been recently increasing. To date, 200 people have died in their attempt to reach the summit, and 80% of fatalities take place during the descent. This is most likely because during the descent you are more tired, less focused, and the adrenaline rush has died down. The worst year in terms of fatalities was in 1996, where 19 climbers died near the summit.

On May 10th 1996, a storm that raged through the Himalayan range took climbers by surprise and stranded many climbers on one of the final points just before the summit. This storm alone took the lives of eight climbers. Those who died were experienced climbers and novices alike. The lesson learned from this tragedy was that weather is the most important criteria when you or expedition leaders are deciding if an attempt on the summit can be done safely. Accurate weather forecasting using the latest weather forecasting technology is critical when deciding if an attempt on the summit can be made. The mountain will either let you climb or it will not. It is that simple.

When looking at the totality of the statistics, there is about a 9% fatality rate. But it should be noted that most of the fatalities occurred before 1990. Over the past ten years, the number of deaths from an attempted summit has dropped dramatically, due primarily from improvements in equipment, and from using experienced guides for a summit attempt.

Today, you can pay a company money for the use of a guide, which improves the survival rate. The following is our directory of climbing companies which provide climbing services with and without guides. If you are a novice mountain climber, you absolutely will need a guide. But even using a guide is no guarantee you will reach the summit. The probability of success increases if you have some mountain climbing experience, do the proper preparation, attempt a summit during a weather window, and use a guide which is provided in the package cost of a mountain climbing service. The following is our directory of expedition climbing companies which provide service for a summit attempt on Mount Everest.

Mount Everest - Current Weather Forecast 3 Day Forecast top: 8849m 29032ft. mid: 6564m 21535ft. bottom: 4278m 14035ft. For 6564m 21535ft.:

Mount Everest - Southeast Ridge (South-Col) Route to the Summit

Mount Everest - Directory of Expedition Companies

• Himalayan Experience
  Himalayan Experience is directed by Russell Brice, who has been leading expeditions to the Himalayas since 1974. He has led many clients to the summit of Everest. He has led clients to the summit of Everest and Cho Oyo, and also Himal Chuli (7,540m), Shishapangma (8,046m) and Ama Dablam (6,856m). His expeditions have recently been presented on the Discovery Channel.
• International Mountain Guides
  International Mountain Guides directors Phil Ershler, George Dunn, Eric Simonson, and Paul Baugher, along with their amazing guide staff, organize and lead climbing, trekking and mountaineering expeditions around the world.
• Adventure Consultants
  Adventure Consultants is a world-renowned mountain guiding company with a legacy of climbing expeditions to the world’s highest peaks.
• Alpine Ascents International
  Their passion for climbing remains unabated, always looking to better their heralded signature programs while adding the classic Alpine Ascents thumbprint to new expeditions worldwide.
• Field Touring Alpine
  World wide mountaineering, trekking and skiing expeditions and tours.
• Jagged Globe
  Jagged Globe is a world-leader in the provision of mountaineering expeditions & treks, climbing and skiing courses.
• Mountain Madness
  Mountain Madness is a mountain climbing guide service and mountaineering school located in Seattle, Washington. Seven summits is our specialty, including Everest and Kilimanjaro climbs and treks.
• PeakFreaks.com
  Climb Mt. Everest South, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Pumori , Everest Training, Ama Dablam, Mt. Pumori with Tim Rippel since 1991, first-class infrastructure and mountain safety.
• Adventures International
  Adventure travel guide service leading international trekking, technical climbing, and mountaineering expeditions. High altitude specialists.
• Project Himalaya
  Basically Project Himalaya is Jamie McGuinness, Joel Schone and Kim Bannister. They organize and/or run things themselves where appropriate and with good local companies for more logistically challenging trips.
• SummitClimb.com
  Affordable Himalayan Climbing and Trekking 6000, 7000, and 8000 metre Peaks in Nepal, Tibet, and China.
• 7summits.com
  The seven summits, the highest peaks of the 7 continents: Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson, Carstensz!
• Mountain Professionals, LLC
  Mountain Professionals is an international guiding service specializing in delivering safe-high quality climbing and trekking expeditions in South America, Africa, Asia and Mexico.
• DCXP Duncan Chessell Expeditions
  Their strength is trekking & climbing expeditions, employing exceptional leaders and people dedicated to making your next journey with them one of many.

Mount Everest - Directory of Expedition Companies - Ground Agents (local company that arranges logistics) but do not offer a guide

• Asian Trekking
  Established in 1982, Asian Trekking and Asian Adventure Travel & Tours is a world leader in the provision of mountaineering expeditions, treks and tours.
• Thamserku Trekking
  We handle 5000 clients annually, which includes 300 expedition clients.

During your selection process in terms of finding the right expedition company, go to the 10 questions you must ask your High-Altitude Expedition Guide.

If you own a climbing service and you provide Mount Everest expeditions, and you are not listed here, please send me an email with your URL and I will include your company on the list.

Mount Everest - Climbing Code of Ethics

There is one more area that deserves discussion when talking about an attempt to summit Mount Everest. Here I am talking about mountain climbing ethics. There have been situations where climbers developed such a high fever pitch of get-to-the-summit, or what some call go fever, that they ignore their fellow climbers who are in a desperate physical condition. Climbers have ascended and descended past climbers who are actually dying. A quote from Sir Edmund Hillary “On my expedition there was no way that you would have left a man under a rock to die. It simply would not have happened”.

Just as military personal will help a downed comrade during war, climbers to should help in whatever way they can if they see a fellow downed climber. It does not matter what their nationality is or what team they are on. Even providing them with some oxygen can be helpful, and even more helpful is to be involved in a rescue attempt. If it means you will not be able to summit because you attempted to save some one, in the end you will feel much better about yourself if you do something to help a fallen climber. Remember the mountain will always be there. You can always attempt a summit at some point in the future.

Mount Everest - Conclusion

An attempt for the summit of Mount Everest is serious business and your preparation should take this fact in mind. It is most likely one of the, if not the most difficult task you will do in your entire life. But if you are successful at a summit attempt on Mount Everest, it will forever change your life. It will result in developing a level of confidence that you probably had never experienced before. It will take unadulterated drive and determination, at a level you will not experience to many times in your life. But if you decide to make a summit attempt, you will increase the probability of success, as with most enormous undertakings in life, by proper preparation. As a matter of fact, preparation is the key to increasing your probability of success. Use our directory to find a climbing company, and remember to incorporate a code of climbing ethics into your thought process when attempting a climb. Remember the mountain will always be there. And finally, Godspeed on your summit attempt.

Mount Everest - Panoramic View From the Summit

For a 360 degree panoramic view from the top of Mount Everest go to Climbing Mount Everest.
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Mount Everest - Location Map - Nepal Indicated in Green